


When You Look In The Mirror

by not_rude_ginger



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Gen, Mirror Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-28
Updated: 2006-07-27
Packaged: 2018-08-16 04:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8086930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_rude_ginger/pseuds/not_rude_ginger
Summary: What if Shran had been on the Avenger? Would he have made things any different? Of course! Episode fix, 4.19 "In a Mirror, Darkly 2."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: This is my version of 4.19 "In A Mirror, Darkly 2" after Archer takes command of the _Avenger_ as well as the _Defiant._ I did it so it would include my favourite character (I was very upset he wasn't in the canon version!) I hope you enjoy.  


* * *

Captain Archer was pacing around as he waited for the arrival of the Avenger's doctor. He had things he wanted to discuss regarding the doctor's most recent experiment. Most importantly he wanted to know if it had worked. There was a chime and he called sharply, "Come!"

The doctor was a small skinny terran, with dark, pointed features and a mad scientist air about him that made Archer think of Dr. Frankenstein. He looked calm at the moment though as he stepped inside giving Archer the Terran Empire salute.

"You wished to speak to me sir." His voice was surprisingly deep for such a small man. Archer had expected a squeak.

"I did." Archer picked up a padd, and glanced at it as he strode around the room. "I was just examining the monthly report of the Avenger and I read about the chief engineer and his crime. I'm intrigued by your punishment experiment and I want a progress report." The doctor drew himself up straighter

"Well, sir, as you read in the report no doubt, the chief engineer questioned Admiral Black's orders and since he's a non-terran he needed to be severely punished. I had recently come up with an idea for his species. Have their loyalty and hardworking tendencies, but give them the strength and aggressiveness of the Klingons. I had a Klingon blood sample which I had been experimenting with and I believed I had discovered a method of blending the sample with another species and it should have effects, although what they would be I had no idea. The Chief Engineer's crime and need for punishment was a perfect opportunity to try the experiment so I injected the sample into his bloodstream. I obviously needed to make slight adjustments to the sample to make it aggressive enough to attack his own blood."

"And?" Archer prompted impatiently.

"And it failed I'm afraid to say."

"Why did it fail?" Archer was bitterly disappointed,

"Well sir I'm still looking into it, but that doesn't mean there weren't effects."

"Such as?"

"Such as great pain, the 'patient' was in agony for almost twenty hours straight, and he developed faint Klingon ridges on top of his own and his skin colour changed slightly. His...smell became worse then ever also."

"That's it? Twenty hours worth of pain, ridges, skin colour change, although that's good, change the freak's abnormal colour tone, and a bad smell? That was it?"

"There was also a change in his temper, he became much more volatile and aggressive, and he attempted to bite one of my assistants on the throat."

"That sounds more like it." Archer chuckled heartlessly then frowned. "So why did it fail?"

"The blood sample was eradicated, I'm still trying to determine how exactly, so he recovered a few days ago. He'll be out of the isolation chamber by tomorrow."

"When he does I want to talk to him, make sure he knows his place." Archer tossed the padd down and said

"You're dismissed." The doctor gave him a salute and then left. Archer poured himself a drink and swallowed it all in one gulp, the liquid burning his insides. He then slammed the glass down so it shattered, the pieces flying everywhere like the glass had exploded.

* * *

T'pol sipped her tea her eyes fixed on the table, her mind wandering. She had intended to go speak with her old associate Soval but he had told her he wasn't able to at this time. He had mentioned having to work on repairs to the Avenger, and then he was going to spend some time with his closest...friend, who was in isolation due to some punishment. Soval had been vague on the details regarding the matter. As much as she wished to speak with him she respected his need to help consol his friend. Thy'lek and he had worked together for years before she'd met either of them. She remembered saying to Soval that Vulcans don't have friends, but he reminded her that Vulcans weren't really supposed to do a lot of the things they did since the Terrans took over. That had been a fair point to say. Soval had introduced her to Thy'lek years ago and she found his presence interesting. He was a clever man and he always thought very carefully before he spoke. She had...enjoyed the discussions they'd had about a vast amount of subjects. She wished to speak to both Thy'lek and Soval about this 'Federation of Planets'. The very idea stirred something within her. The idea of having complete freedom of opinion, choice, life was very tempting. Phlox had told her it was dangerous to think of it but she couldn't help it. She knew this was the way the Empire needed to go. But she knew Archer, he'd never agree with it, not after that speech he'd made to the crew. She had a plan in her mind, slowly forming but she needed Soval and Thy'lek to help her.

* * *

The door chimed and Archer smirked maliciously to himself, he was going to enjoy this. He always did.

"Enter!" The door slid open and the alien nearly stumbled into the room. He managed to straighten up and stay like that but he was obviously still ill. His antennas were drooping farther then Archer had ever seen them. His blue skin was pale and on his forehead, along with faint Klingon ridges on top of his already existing ones, were blotchy brown spots all over. He managed to give a proper salute to him. "You can go." Archer told Mayweather who looked disappointed but obeyed. He looked back at the Andorian and looked him over. "You look more of a freak then ever." he spat, "And they couldn't even improve that ridiculous skin tone of yours!" He saw the Andorian stiffen slightly but he said nothing, "What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Shran sir." The Andorian's voice was strong despite his ragged appearance.

"You're the Chief Engineer of the Avenger, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me why this experiment was performed on you."

"It was a punishment, sir."

"Why were you punished?" Archer barked

"I questioned the orders of Admiral Black, sir."

"So I heard." Archer paced around him slowly, then with out warning he reached out and grabbed the antenna and pulled them back. The Andorian yelled in pain and his knees gave out and he fell to the ground on them. Archer pulled him back by the two antenna, and hissed

"I've heard that the antennas are the most painful thing to lose for your kind. I've never had a chance to cut one off before. Maybe I should now to make sure you never question my orders." The Andorian's mutated face scrunched up in pain

"No, please, I won't question your orders sir, I swear it!" Archer threw him back so he fell over onto his back. Archer walked over to his desk and picked up a padd and walked back to him. He put his booted foot on the Andorians chest to hold him, putting enough pressure on it so he had difficulty breathing. He held out the padd in front of his face, he watched with enjoyment as the Andorian's eyes widened and fear entered them. It wasn't easy to scare an Andorian, so this was delightful.

"I'm sure you recognise your own sister." The eyes moved from the picture to Archer's face. "If I get a single whisper that suggests you're questioning my orders, I will have her killed, understood?" The eyes moved from him to the picture, and back. He nodded

"I understand sir." Archer lifted his foot, and kicked him hard in the side, listening to the satisfying crack of at least one rib.

"Get down to engineering and assist Mr. Tucker in repairs of the Avenger and Defiant." The Andorian scrambled to his feet and gave him the Terran Empire salute and nearly ran out of the captain's ready room, one hand pressed to his side. Archer tossed down the padd and smiled at the other occupant of the room as they snaked their arms around him.

"That was fun to watch." Hoshi purred, "I like it when you put a slave in his place."

"We both do," Archer answered before kissing her.


	2. Chapter 2

Tucker was waiting impatiently for the Avenger's chief engineer. The freak was supposed to be here ages ago. Finally the door opened and an Andorian with a Klingon forehead stepped inside.

"About time!" he barked. The Andorian jumped and looked up at him. "The Avenger has a million things needed to be repaired, now come on!" He pushed past the Andorian and led the way to the transporter pad. Five minutes later they were entering the Avengers engineering. "I want to know what the hell this is." Tucker brought up a schematic of the warp core and pointed to a layer that wasn't standard, in fact was something he'd never seen before.

"It's a protective layer." Shran informed him, "It helps protect the crew from the radiation. I had it installed when I became Chief Engineer."

"Oh, showing off for Starfleet, were you?" Tucker sneered, "Tryin' to look like you deserved the job even though everyone knows that you only got because of that whore of a sister of yours." Shran stiffened but continued his scans of the systems. He said stiffly,

"Two injectors will need to be completely replaced, and the exhaust manifolds are badly damaged. Another hit and I'd say our reactor would have breeched."

"Lucky we arrived to save your asses." Tucker wanted to get a rise out of the Andorian but he'd settle for watching him struggle to restrain himself. Shran said nothing and walked away from him down a corridor. Annoyed that he was being ignored Tucker followed him, "Hey!" Shran stopped and turned to face him. "You listening to me?"

"Yes sir." Shran stated.

"Well then answer when you're spoken to."

"What if I have no answer for you, sir?" Shran asked him. Tucker narrowed his eyes and shoved his face into Shran's, but the Andorian didn't back down.

"You had better remember your place Andorian! Just because your sister is the favourite concubine of the Emperor, doesn't mean you can expect special treatment by me."

"Wouldn't dream of it sir." Shran's voice was tight and angry but there was no taunting in it. Still, Tucker got really pissed off now and he smashed his fist into Shran's jaw. Shran smacked into the wall, hitting his side against it. His hand flew to it and he winced. Tucker sneered at him again then barked,

"Get started on the exhaust manifolds now!" Shran straightened up, his hand still covering his side.

"Yes sir." He said sharply and hurried down the corridor. Tucker snorted after him and then returned to engineering.

* * *

"I hope we won't be disturbing him." T'pol looked at Soval who paused, his fingers hovering before the door chime button.

"We may be but this is really too important to wait for. He will give us another perspective on this situation."

"You value his opinion." T'pol still found it strange; their people hadn't gotten along with Thy'lek's when they met but the Terrans had become a bigger problem and both species stopped having any contact until both their worlds were conquered. Unlike Vulcan which was overtaken with surprising swiftness, Andoria was able to keep them at bay for years, they were only conquered when the surrounding planets were all overcome and they were surrounded. Even then they were resistant to being slaves. Now though, the younger ones particularly, were very loyal to the Empire, at least outwardly. Thy'lek wasn't one of them; at least that was her own impression.

"I do. He always has aâ€¦ unique way of looking at things. I also wish to apologise to him even though it will hardly be enough." T'pol looked at him questioningly, "It was in attempting to spare me having to perform a dangerous task that Thy'lek was punished." If she was prone to it she would have dropped her jaw. As it was she raised an eyebrow in surprise. Soval pressed the button and, after a pregnant pause, they heard his strong voice call

"Come in." Soval pressed the door release and it slid away. They stepped inside. Thy'lek relaxed as he saw it was them. He was standing with his hands behind his back, but he dropped them as the door closed behind them. In T'pol's own opinion he looked quite ill, and the brown ridges on his forehead didn't help him at all.

"Soval, andâ€¦ T'pol, this is a surprise." He inclined his head to her. She returned the gesture.

"It is agreeable to see you again Thy'lek."

"Likewise. I apologise for myâ€¦ appearance, but I wasn't really in a position to refuse the procedure."

"And that is one of the reasons I have come." said Soval, "I wish to apologise for having caused you such anguish." Thy'lek raised his hand a smile on his features,

"My friend it was my own fault. I was the one who spoke out of turn. I brought the punishment upon myself."

"You are too forgiving old friend."

"And you are too hard on yourself Soval. Please sit down." Thy'lek walked over to his desk and took a glass with a thick liquid inside it into his hand. He swallowed a mouthful and grimaced, he then looked at them as he sat down, "I would offer you some but this is the foulest thing ever invented, gagh would taste better I am thinking."

"Protein supplement?"

"Exactly, hopefully if I keep drinking it I'll get my normal skin tone back, and it'll help me get back to normal, hopefully." He drained the glass and pulled a disgusted face as he set it down.

"Have you been on bored the Defiant yet?" T'pol questioned.

"Oh yes, Captain Archer wanted to make sure I would hold my tongue and obey him. He cracked one of my ribs for emphasis." Thy'lek's smile turned bitter. "It's quite a ship I have to admit."

"Have you had a chance to review the historical database?" Thy'lek's antenna curled slightly and he looked amused.

"I wondered when we'd get to that. Always to the point aren't you T'pol? Yes I took a look at it, and had a laugh if you were wondering."

"What was so amusing?"

"Did you not notice that the names are all the same?" Thy'lek now openly grinned.

"I was paying more attention to the idea of this Federation." Soval tried to push the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go, but typically Thy'lek refused to be taken away from his amusement. He had once said to him,

_"I have very little to smile about my friend, so whenever I do I hope you'll forgive me if I am reluctant to think of anything else."_ Thy'lek leaned back in his seat,

"I checked my own file and I think I spent at least a minute just laughing, thinking it was a terrible joke but no, it apparently wasn't. This Thy'lek Shran was a member of the Andorian Imperial Guard and he commanded a ship for twelve years called the Kumari. It was destroyed by a Romulan ship and he was rescued by his friend Captain Jonathon Archer." Soval raised his eyebrows sharply and T'pol's eyes widened. Thy'lek nodded, "It's true. It seems," he rose and began to pace slowly around, "that Archer and I met on P'jem, Archer was paying a visit during his ship's exploration mission, I was holding the monks hostage trying to find a subspace sensor array that was hidden in the monastery, which your people were using to spy on mine. Archer found it and gave me the information about it as an act of friendship and in the name of truth. This he did despite the fact that humans were in alliance with Vulcans for years. After that we continued to meet and we formed a very strong friendship until Archer dies; Iâ€¦ I actually make him an honorary member of the Imperial Guard after I'm made a General!" Thy'lek laughed bitterly at the ridiculousness of the very idea. "This Shran leads a much better life, he has a wife, he has children, he did well in every aspect of his life!"

"Maybe you could also have that." T'pol pressed. Thy'lek looked at her questioningly. "Imagine it. A Federation of Planets, where all species are equal, Human, Vulcan, Andorian, Denobulan, Tellerite. Imagine having the freedom of choice. Being able to do what you want." Thy'lek shook his head, a small smile on his lips,

"You have always been a little too naÃ¯ve T'pol." She raised her head slightly in surprise. "You only think on the good of that kind of thing. You fail to think of the negative aspects of it which the Empire prevents."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that under Terran rule every other species is considered equal. We don't see Vulcans and Andorians and Tellerites, we see just people. Those barriers that the humans tore away when they made us all their subjects exist in that other reality. And what if the Federation is created, what if it doesn't work. You have to realise we'll end up having all the different species wanting to be dominant because they were all oppressed."

"Perhaps not, the different species are already working together in the resistance."

"For how long? Even after a hundred years of being members of this Federation Andorians and Tellerites still don't even remotely like or trust each other. I have no wish to see unity go to pieces in an attempt to follow the example of someone else's reality."

"Things will be different."

"They already are, in fact we are as different from them as can be and what if in order for one to exist the other has to as well."

"I don't understand what you mean my friend." Soval rose to his feet to meet Thy'lek's gaze. His friend was clearly getting distressed; he always thought so much that he often drove himself mad.

"I mean that what if for this 'peaceful' Federation to exist we need to have the Terran Empire. All scientists agree everything needs an equal and opposite to it in order for it to exist. It's a basic law!"

"You think in us creating a Federation the already existing one will transform into a Terran Empire?"

"A little dramatic choice of words but yes, that's exactly what I think. Or worse what if in creating a Federation and the other one is also in existence that two Empires will have to be created to compensate for it. I could not in good conscience bring down our lives upon some one else. I'd rather suffer it than know that I caused someone else to suffer it instead."

"We need to do something!" T'pol stood up, "Archer is going to kill the Emperor." Thy'lek looked at her then at Soval giving a look that clearly said

_'She doesn't understand.'_

"As I'm sure Soval told you T'pol, the Empire is indeed corrupt."

"I did, however she reminded me that Archer would ravage Vulcan should he become Emperor. He blames us for starting the war."

"That's ridiculous! The Vulcans were the last to join the rebellion."

"Indeed." Soval said no more, he let Thy'lek come to his own conclusions. He could almost see his friend's mind working, realising the implications of Archer being in control. He was certain he saw understanding in his friend's eyes. Then Thy'lek sighed and looked away.

"I'm sorry Soval but I can't help you. Archer told me if he even got an implication that I was working against him I'd regret it."

"He said that he would kill me if I did the same and I still am." T'pol refused to give up on him. Thy'lek fixed her with a levelled gaze

"Archer promised he'd have my older sister executed if he heard anything." Soval bowed his head slightly, he knew it was hopeless now; Thy'lek loved his family too much to do anything to put them at risk. He resisted the urge to sigh and merely said

"Will you report us?" Thy'lek looked at him and asked

"Now why would I report an event that never took place?" He smiled slightly at them and they both nodded in understanding. His smile faded and he said "I'm sorry my old friend."

"I understand Thy'lek." Soval did understand and he respected Thy'lek for his desire to protect his family. They left his cabin and Soval could have sworn he heard the distinct sound of a booted foot kicking a metal desk.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey! Shran!" Shran froze as he looked over his shoulder, causing the Orion woman (Maras) behind him, to bump into him. She gave an annoyed look that was characteristically Orion-like. They could turn anything into a seductive weapon. He gave her a quick apologetic look before walking over to Commander Tucker, who looked mightily pissed off for some reason. Then again, he wasn't really ever a ray of sunshine.

"Yes sir?"

"You're not going anywhere!" Tucker said sharply.

"Sir with all due respect, I'm under orders from Captain Archer. All non terrans have to leave the Defiant and go to the Avenger. I'm only here because Phlox wanted to give me a once over to see-"

"Do I look like I care about you and your new Klingon parts?" Tucker snapped, "The captain gave me permission to keep you on bored because I would only trust another Chief engineer with some of the technology on board the Defiant and much to my misfortune you're the only available one."

"Understood sir." was all Shran said even though he was tempted to say something very sarcastic, but he'd learned long ago to hold his tongue.

"Well why are you just standing there, come on! You can get your stuff now and bring it on board otherwise you'll have to do it later and I can't be bothered waiting. And the rest of you get going!" Tucker barked at the other aliens that had slowed their step to listen. Shran groaned inwardly, they'd all think he was getting special treatment _again_! He was never able to convince anyone he didn't want to be treated differently. He hung his head as he left Tucker, he really wished he could just go back on the Avenger and stay put. But no he had to go and pack what little he had and move onto the Defiant away from all his friends. He really wasn't fond of terrans.

* * *

"Sabotage the Defiant? Have you lost your senses?" Phlox gaped at the two Vulcans who were standing before him.

"You're the only non-Terran on the Defiant. Any of us would arouse suspicion." Soval explained. T'pol moved closer to him, 

"You heard Archer's speech. He's delusional."

"It's not a delusion if the Captain has the power to do what he says, and from what I've seen, he most certainly does. I should report you both." He turned away with the intention of leaving them and contacting Archer.

"Are you loyal to the Empire or not?" Soval's question was very insulting and Phlox whirled around,

"Of course I am!"

"Archer plans to kill the Emperor and take his place."

"The Captain has proven himself in battle. Perhaps he should rule the Empire." Phlox tried to rationalise.

"If Archer fails, his crew will have to answer for his crimes. We'll be executed." Phlox felt a stab of fear at her words.

"There's an old tradition. If someone saves the emperor's life, it's said there's no request he can refuse them."

"Consider the possibilities. A medical facility of your own with unlimited resources. You could conduct experiments you see fit." Phlox would admit it was tempting but he wasn't going to listen to them. Until Soval pointed out

"Don't forget the females." Now he gave them his full attention. 

"Females?"

"You'll be able to choose as many concubines as you'd like." Now Phlox was interested.

"Hmm. I could choose anyone I wished?"

"Of course." Soval nodded

"Well I think I would like that Andorian that the Emperor favours, I hear she's very skilled." He was too deep in his musings to notice T'pol and Soval sharing a look. "If the Emperor were my patient, I'd be obligated to save his life. I suppose what you are suggesting isn't that different."

"So you'll do it?"

"Oh very well I will." Phlox nodded and took the padd being offered to him by T'pol. As he walked away, he didn't hear Soval say to T'pol,

"Thy'lek will never hear of this."

* * *

"Hand me a magnetic probe." Shran passed the tool to Tucker. He couldn't believe it! He was a Chief Engineer, non-terran or not, he could be doing much better things with his time than playing assistant to Tucker. He knew better than to believe the fact that Tucker had wanted him to stay on bored because he only trusted another Chief Engineer, because Tucker wouldn't trust a non-terran over a terran any day of the terran year. Nope, Tucker just enjoyed making snide comments at him and watching him fight to retort or, much more tempting, punch the man's lights out. So far he was able to quell the urges but he doubted he would be for much longer.

"So you feel special being able to prance around with those new ridges?" Tucker's voice was taunting. Shran gritted his teeth, he did **not** prance! He never had and he never would.

"Not particularly sir." He managed to keep his tone calm and bored as if he wasn't bothered by Tucker and his remarks.

"Good because you look more like a freak than your kind usually do."

"I know that sir." Still the calm voice.

"What did they call this piece?" Tucker pointed out a particular piece and Shran looked at it and, thankfully, was able to answer, Tucker kept trying to catch him out and make him look stupid.

"A baffle plate sir, I wouldn't recommend you remove it, I think you've been exposed to enough radiation in your lifetime." Tucker switched off the magnetic probe and looked at him in a dangerous way.

"Meaning?" he growled

"Simply that I would have thought you wouldn't want to suffer any more exposure the you already have and if you remove it you will either cause irreparable damage to yourself or blow up the ship." Shran held his gaze steadily. He'd kept his tone polite and conversational, so Tucker couldn't accuse him of mocking him. He smoothly commented, "I wonder who invented this duotronic computer system, it's very clever."

"Most likely a Terran." smirked Tucker. Shran was distracted by a sudden beeping from a consol. "What is it?" demanded Tucker. Shran quickly walked over to the consol and answered

"The warp field's fluctuating. It's a power drain...the primary EPS relays." Shran looked at him, "Will I alert the captain?"

"No. it's probably just a micro-fracture in the conduit. Do you really want to bother the captain with that?"

"Will I go take care of it? I know how to do it." Tucker seemed to be deeply debating it. On the one hand if he let Shran repair the micro fracture which required some skill, he'd be acknowledging that Shran did have some talent. Then again if he himself went and did it he'd need to leave Shran in charge, he was the highest ranking officer second to him. No way in hell would he let a blue skinned freak with Klingon ridges run his engine for even a nano-second!

"Go." he grumbled. Shran nodded then grabbed a case of tools. He walked quickly down to the EPS relays when the whole ship shook and he stumbled to the side. He swore softly in Tellerite as his still broken ribs got jostled. Then his brain kicked in action again. That had felt like an attack!

"Soval!" he moaned, they couldn't have! They couldn't really be that stupid! Could they? He quieted his steps and bit back a groan as he saw Phlox removing the plasma relays. Clever really, but incredibly stupid too. He chewed on his lip in a frightful inner debate. Then, unbidden, his sister flew into his mind. Tucker would be coming down any second to find out what was happening and he'd try to pin this on him, not Phlox. Lissiel would be killed. He couldn't let that happen.

_'Soval forgive me.'_ He thought as he snuck up behind Phlox just as the doctor pulled out a communicator,

"Phlox to Soval. I'm finished here. Stand by to transport-" The Denobulan at this point turned around and saw him. He froze. Shran attacked. The two of them grappled and Phlox managed to kick him off. Shran pushed himself to his feet and leapt onto Phlox's back as he tried to escape. He brought his fist down onto the Denobulan's temple and he fell, unconscious. Shran clambered off him and then ducked as a consol exploded above him. He hurried over to the EPS relays and quickly began to reinsert them, putting the whole thing back together with the skill of a well trained engineer. Suddenly the communicator beeped and to his horror his friends voice came through and it sounded as panicked as he'd ever heard it. 

"Soval to Phlox. Their power grid's being restored. What's happening? Doctor, respond!" He slid the last relay into place and the ship stopped shaking. The shields were back up. He grabbed the communicator and flipped it open.

"This is Thy'lek! Soval...I'm...I'm sorry." He never got an answer. He rested his arm on his knee as he knelt there, and bowed his head in utter misery.


	4. Chapter 4

Phlox cried out as he hit the ground again. Shran tried not to wince at it. He was in the Captain's ready room with Archer, Sato, Mayweather, Tucker(who looked very sour), Reed, Phlox and T'pol, who had given him the iciest look he ever received when he'd entered with the still woozy Phlox, who had sported a lovely bruise on his temple.. Archer was furious, and he was showing it by beating Phlox to death.

"I thought you were loyal to me!" Archer shouted.

"I am loyal to the Emperor, and at the moment you are not him." Phlox answered shakily. He got another punch for that. Shran tried to stay hidden. He felt miserable; he'd completely betrayed his comrades, his own species and his friends. T'pol would throw him another icy look every now and then. Sato stood beside her enjoying Phlox's suffering but clearly itching to kill the Vulcan woman. Once they were done with Phlox they would. Shran felt like he was rooted to the spot where he stood. He hated himself for this, but he hadn't been given a choice. He loved his sister far too much to let her be killed because of him. Archer's voice broke through his train of thought.

"At least there was one non-terran who actually means it when he swears his loyalty to me, instead of following the crowd." Shran wished Archer would just vaporise him with that phaser he was gripping. Both Phlox and T'pol were now glaring at him...at least as much as a Vulcan could glare. He kept his head up but his eyes fell to the ground.

"Take them and throw them out the nearest airlock!" Archer snarled suddenly and Shran jumped. No! He needed to stop this; he couldn't let them be killed!

"Captain!" he exclaimed without thinking. Archer whirled around and he glared at him threateningly, daring him to question his orders. He thought incredibly fast and he even managed to throw in some convincing acting as he said "They're obviously members of the rebellion! They probably know where their main bases are!" Phlox and T'pol were now looking at him as if he'd sprouted another head. Shran lowered his voice conspiratorially "If we can get them to tell us where they are then we can attack them and put down the rebellion before you become Emperor, every commander will be so in awe of your victory that they'll follow you without question." He saw Archer was now listening carefully, so Shran moved in for the kill. "You and I both know that Vulcans can suppress pain. But I think I have a way to make her more talkative." Now Archer actually had a hungry look on his face,

"How?" he asked eagerly, Shran prayed Tucker would believe him as well, he'd be the only one who might pick up on the technicalities.

"I recently had the idea of how to make Vulcan rebels more compliant by using a neuro-synaptic field to lower their emotional threshold. That would crush them in no time, you know how emotions are loathed by Vulcans." Archer gave him a suspicious look and then he turned to Phlox,

"Answer this question and I'll spare you the air-lock. Could that work?" Phlox looked from him to Shran to T'pol. Then he nodded

"Yes it should work, it would probably break even the most disciplined of Vulcans."

"Mr. Tucker?"

"Sounds possible." grunted Tucker irritably.

"Alright. Put T'pol in the brig. And as for you doctor..." Archer whirled around and shot him with the phaser! Phlox screamed in agony as he disintegrated. Shran flinched. T'pol froze. She then looked at Shran, her eyes screaming betrayal and he looked away. As she was pulled out of the Ready Room Archer turned to him

"How long will it take you to build?"

"About 25 hours if I don't take a break."

"You have 20."

"Understood sir."

"Commander Tucker, assist Lieutenant Shran in anything he needs."

"Aye sir." Shran felt bitter amusement as he watched a vein throb in the Commander's temple, he absolutely hated this.

_'Now you know how I feel.'_

* * *

"So what do you need me to do?" Tucker all but growled as they entered the science room Archer said they were to build the neuro-synaptic chair in.

"Nothing, you can go and oversee the repairs to the Defiant." Shran told him trying not to smile, he really shouldn't be enjoying this as much as he was, but he was only Andorian and he really hated Tucker. "If I need help I'll let you know." Tucker glared at him and stormed out of the science room. Shran pulled out schematics he'd drawn up only ten minutes ago and got to work. He needed to wait for a while because Archer was probably watching him. He silently prayed his idea worked or else he'd be for it. Or rather his sister would be. He set down the schematics and he began to build the 'fake torture chair' as he called it. He needed to wait for a few hours, as he needed Archer to let his guard down; it would make things a hell of a lot easier. After four hours he knew it was go time. He quickly set down the tools and made a show of realising he'd forgotten something and then stomped out of the science room. The human who was guarding him looked at him with narrowed eyes. He briefly wondered if humans only knew how to be angry and cause misery...before he realised that was the stupidest question to ask, all things considered.

"I need to get something from my quarters, it'll help keep the neuro-synaptic field stable." Shran severely doubted the human knew what he was talking about but he nodded and gestured with his phaser that Shran was to go ahead of him. Did he really think Shran would try anything in the corridor? Fighting every urge to roll his eyes he did as the human instructed. The human (he couldn't be bothered finding out his name, he was long past caring) was practically clipping his heels as he followed. And his species had the reputation for paranoia! He depressed the button of his quarters and the door hissed open. He was silently thankful he'd gotten all he would need for this from the Avenger earlier. He stepped inside and, much to the annoyance of his already shattered nerves, the human walked in without even a second thought. He glared at his desk as he opened the drawer and pulled out a transtator and his little toy. It looked like a tennis ball made out of mechanical parts. He set down the transtator and fiddled with the toy for a minute.

"What's that?" demanded the terran sharply. Shran looked at him and smiled cheerfully.

"Your nightcap." He informed him before pressing the button. The little ball emitted a high frequency sound. The human dropped his phaser and covered his ears crying in pain. He fell to his knees and then collapsed unconscious. Shran turned the neural neutraliser off.

_'I knew I made this for a reason other than irritating Soval.'_ he thought to himself as he tossed it slightly in his hands. He sat down at his desk and quickly began accessing the main computer and overriding the captain's command codes. He smiled grimly as he put his plan into action. When Archer realised just how badly he'd been fooled...sufficed to say he was going to be pissed off.


	5. Chapter 5

T'pol sat in the brig desperately trying to calm herself, trying to meditate but failing miserably. She had no idea how strong the emotion of betrayal could be until now. She was still in shock she believed. How could Thy'lek betray her? How could he betray Soval was a better question, the two men had been close friends for years, Soval had taken Thy'lek under his wing when the Andorian had arrived on the Avenger when he was eighteen. The two had become inseparable, their relationship evolving from one of mentor and student to a strong friendship. Why would Thy'lek do this?

_'His sister.'_ whispered a tiny voice. She knew it was right, but now Thy'lek was constructing a tool to break her, how was that ensuring his sisters safety? To this question the voice had no answer. Suddenly there was a very strange sound, a kind of high pitched noise, and it was followed by sounds like men crying in pain and collapsing. The two guards watching her shared a look and went to investigate. T'pol wondered how idiotic someone had to be to walk into an obvious trap. Apparently as stupid as those two were because her very sensitive Vulcan ears heard the sound of two more bodies collapsing. A minute later the door opened and Thy'lek entered a phaser in one hand and a strange ball in the other. He looked behind him and seemed to struggle with a thought, then stepped away from the door and it closed. She stood up and watched as he deactivated the forcefield, and stepped into the brig itself. He stared at her with an expression that she couldn't interpret, but his antennas were drooping severely; an indication of great sadness and pain. She felt anger flare within her and quickly repressed it. He didn't seem to know what to say to her and she told him as much.

"How can I say anything that will help repair the damage?" he asked softly

"You cannot." she answered. He nodded, swallowing hard.

"You have to know I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted Soval to die."

"You could have let our plan succeed."

"You were captive and you carried the information the rebels would need. Without it the rebellion still wouldn't have had much of a chance to succeed even with the Defiant destroyed."

"Regardless this ship needs to be destroyed! As long as it's in existence the balance of power is completely off."

"Agreed." Thy'lek turned around, slipping the phaser into its holster. "Come on." T'pol didn't move; she didn't trust him anymore. Thy'lek turned back to her. "Unless you'd rather wait 'till the self destruct countdown reaches zero?" He held out his hand to her giving her an imploring and pleading look. She hesitated then took it slowly. She felt his emotions through the contact, he felt regret, deep regret and there was a sincerity and worry as well. He squeezed her hand slightly and gently pulled her along. They stepped out into the corridor and T'pol noted the men unconscious on the ground.

"What did you do to them?" she asked, not out of concern but curiosity.

"I used this on them." Thy'lek held up the mechanical ball in his hand.

"What is it?"

"A kind of neural neutraliser, I made it a few years ago. I knew it would come in useful someday."

"Why does it not affect you or me?"

"Well, because Vulcans and Andorians are both telepathic, even if it's only slightly, it makes all the difference. Our brain waves work on a different frequency to humans (which could explain an awful lot) so this little beauty interrupts the brain wave frequency of humans and renders them unconscious. It took a long time to find the exact frequency that was required I can tell you."

"Will they recover?"

"Not for several hours and when they do they'll have the mother of all hangovers...that is, they would if the ship was going to be around in several hours. I hope we don't run into anyone else, this needs to reset itself after each use." She nodded silently. She noticed he had yet to let her hand go. She suspected that he was using the slight telepathic connection established by their touch to keep himself calm, using her logic as a focuser.

"Where are we going?" she asked, although she had an idea.

"The escape pods."

"Captain Archer is probably already aware of my release and the activation of the self destruct."

"You'd think so wouldn't you." he smirked proudly. "He won't even realise something is up until we've released the pod."

"They can still destroy us with the phasers." He paused and faced her, an irritated look on his face.

"T'pol please, give me some credit. I'm an engineer, I know how to shut down a key system without anyone knowing about it." She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed and they continued, Thy'lek had very good timing, it was mid night shift, so almost no one was around now. They were only a deck above the escape pods and they headed for the turbo lift. They were silent as it descended, when they went past the deck they wanted to land on and continued on. They shared a look, sudden panic engulfing Thy'lek's eyes as he gripped the neural neutraliser then suddenly slipped it into T'pol's hand and pulled her slightly behind him. The door hissed open and Major Reed stood on the other side. His eyes widened and he drew his phaser on them sharply.

"What are you doing?" he demanded angrily.

"I need T'pol for the neuro-synaptic field; the captain will no doubt want it perfect. I need her to make sure it is so."

"I thought that the brig and science room were on the same deck."

"I needed to change the room for the chair because the first one lacked several power conduits I needed."

"And you just decided to take her along without any guard?" the major sneered.

"She's not stupid enough to try anything." T'pol felt him nudge her and understood what he was telling her. The neutraliser was probably ready. Keeping herself half hidden behind Thy'lek she raised her arm and studied the device in her hand, locating the button. She pressed it. Reed went down. She switched it off. She would give it credit; it was a useful little device.

"Resume." Thy'lek commanded the turbolift and it obeyed. He sighed and sagged slightly in relief as the lights flashed by. "If we manage to get off this ship in time to get away from the blast it will be a miracle."

"I thought Andorians didn't believe in miracles."

"If we get out of this in one piece then this Andorian will." he informed her dryly.

"How much time did you give us?"

"Fifteen minutes. It seemed the best time, just enough to get away but not enough for Tucker to figure out how to stop it."

"Then we have approximately seven minutes to get off the ship." she deduced

"Don't remind me!" he groaned loudly. The turbo came to a halt and the door slid open. There didn't appear to be anyone in the corridor, but Thy'lek stiffened and drew his phaser out. His antennas moved back till they were almost lying flat against his head, she knew this meant he was feeling bloodthirsty. She realised he was hoping that Archer would be present so he could kill him. She knew there was no time for this so she grabbed his arm and he looked at her. She said nothing but she knew he understood what she wanted, he had a talent for reading people. He sighed and relaxed himself slightly and lowered the phaser slightly, but he didn't loosen his grip on it. They crept on to the deck and stayed close to the bulkhead, both suddenly feeling jumpy. Thy'lek peered around the corner and she watched as his antenna drooped slightly.

"Come out Shran! We see you!" Archer's voice barked. Thy'lek withdrew his head and he took the neutraliser from T'pol and looked at it. By her calculations it took ninety second for the device to reset. Normally that was no time but every precious second lost meant they had less time to escape the blast of the Defiant...if they even got off the ship at all. They had a minute to wait out before the device was ready. Thy'lek muttered a Klingon curse softly and then he called calmly

"Well I know that neither of us are fools captain, I know I'm not anyway, not so sure about you, but we both know what I'm up to, I'm sure." There was a definite tone of sarcasm in his voice. She knew that he, like her, had had enough of Terrans. He still bore the brown skin of Klingons on his forehead to remind him if he ever doubted it.

"You think you can smuggle T'pol off this ship? You Andorians must be dumber than I thought!"

_Fifty seconds..._

"Well I think you may want to rethink that thought." Thy'lek was smirking slightly, but his knuckles were changing colour rapidly as he gripped the neural neutraliser tightly. "Because whether you stop us or not this ship will blow up in..." He looked at T'pol questioningly.

"Less than six minutes." Antennas squirmed uncomfortably at the meagre amount of time.

"Less than six minutes." Thy'lek deadpanned for Archer.

"...I don't believe you!"

"It's true...pink-skin." T'pol raised an eyebrow at the words.

"You couldn't have accessed the self destruct sequence, let alone activate it...you're just an Andorian." Antenna flew back against the head again.

_Forty seconds..._

"Well are you really going to risk it? If you don't go now then you'll be killed along with the rest of us. Do you really want the name Jonathon Archer to be noted as the man who committed treason against the Empire and tried to usurp the throne and failed before he even tried? It'll still happen whether or not you get off this ship, but if you get off then you'll have a chance to fix that won't you?" Thy'lek glared at the neutraliser in frustration obviously wishing it would hurry up.

_Thirty seconds..._

"Shut it off!" shouted Archer.

"And why would I do that?" drawled Thy'lek actually daring to peek around the corner a smirk on his lips. He ducked back a second later as someone took a shot at him. T'pol gave him a patronising look. He was being careless now.

"If the ship blows up you'll be killed too."

"At this point I'd rather die than serve you Terrans-"

_Twenty seconds..._

"-because the life we lead under your rule is no life at all."

"We rule you, we unite you, all of you!" bellowed Archer, "Without us the Andorians would have been dominated by the Vulcans!" Thy'lek's antennas twitched, "It would have been worse if they ruled us. They would have made us suppress our emotions, our cultures would have been torn apart by them!"

"Just like you tore at their culture and mine and every other culture you took over! You're right captain."

_Ten seconds..._

"You do unite us."

_Nine seconds..._

"You unite us in our hatred and misery of your rule."

_Eight seconds..._

T'pol swallowed hard.

_Seven seconds..._

"But alliances formed by those things-"

_Six seconds..._

"-will never really last."

_Five seconds..._

"Which is why..."

_Four seconds..._

"The Federation is our future."

_Three seconds..._

"And I don't think-"

_Two seconds..._

"-that we'll let humans join, somehow."

_One second!_

Thy'lek activated the neutraliser and the thing screeched for all it was worth. Archer and whoever was with him could be heard screaming and then there was silence. Thy'lek let out a breath he'd been holding then noticed T'pol was looking at him. "What?"

"You have an illogical flair for dramatics." she stated as she stepped past him.

"Oh give me a break!" he muttered softly but not softly enough that she couldn't hear him. He probably knew it too. She felt him paused behind her as they stepped over the captain (Thy'lek had deliberately stepped on his hand) and the others. He was staring at Tucker with a very strange expression. T'pol realised it was a mixture of hatred, anger and uncertainty. His grip on the phaser had tightened.

"If you kill him now you will be no better than them." she stated.

"Will it make a difference since the ship will blow up in five minutes?"

"It makes all the difference." He knew that, she knew he did. He sighed and let her tug him away. They reached the escape pods and Thy'lek made short work of releasing it. Even so they had less than four minutes to get away. It was barely enough. They watched as the Defiant seemed to float for a moment, then it exploded! The resulting wave buffeted the pod around like a bottle in a sea storm. T'pol was flung into a bulkhead and everything went dark.


	6. Chapter 6

When she came around she felt disorientated and there was no doubt that there was a bruise on her head now that throbbed slightly. She pushed herself into a sitting position slowly otherwise she was liable to pass out again. The escape pod was very small, sitting room only, but it was large enough for three people to fit in it comfortably. She blinked away the dark spots covering her vision, then looked around. Thy'lek lay unconscious beside her, a cut on his forehead oozing slightly and a bruise on his jaw. She reached out and shook him awake. It took quite a while to do so; Thy'lek was very reluctant to rejoin the living, but, eventually, he opened his eyes and looked at her blearily.

"I'm assuming this means we're alive?" he asked gruffly

"Yes we are."

"...Good." Thy'lek pushed himself up wincing as he did so, his hand moving to his side.

"I thought Phlox gave you a check up before all terrans were transferred. Why are your ribs still broken?" T'pol stated a tad confused. Thy'lek chuckled dryly as he pushed himself up so he was sitting with his back against the bulkhead,

"Archer gave him explicit orders not to heal them, I guess he wanted to make sure I didn't forget his warning too soon." T'pol settled herself against the opposite bulkhead and they sat in silence for a few minutes just taking in the fact that the Defiant, along with its crew, was gone. It seemed a little unreal, after everything that had happened. Finally Thy'lek looked at her and said "You know, for a Vulcan you look very disappointed...or is disappointment not an emotion? I get that confused a lot and no amount of explaining from Soval could change that." T'pol stared at the ground then said softly

"I regret that we didn't get the information from the Defiant." Thy'lek stared at her in disbelief then slapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"T'pooooool!" he groaned in frustration, "Please, alright I made a massive mistake, but please don't think I'm a complete idiot! I got enough of that from Tucker." She looked at him and he put his hand in his pocket and drew out three memory chips. "I downloaded the entire database, from tactical schematics to what the favoured food of the previous crew was. It's sure to be useful- the tactical stuff I mean, not the favourite food thing." She held out her hand and he dropped them into her palm. She closed her fingers around the three chips and for a moment savoured their presence.

"You seem to have thought of everything." she admitted to him.

"Er, not quite!" he suddenly looked sheepish, "I have absolutely no clue how to get in contact with the rebels to get this information to them and we only have, oh, about seven days worth of rations and air. Still have to get around that."

"I'm sure we'll think of something." she rationalised, then asked a question that had been burning in her mind. "Why have you changed your mind about helping the rebels?"

"I haven't." he told her sternly, "I still have great reservations about this Federation."

"But you said to Captain Archer that you believe in it."

"I only said that to buy time and annoy him. I was feeling mutinous." he chuckled.

"Then why have you done all this?"

"Because the Defiant was too dangerous for anyone to have, that and the fact that I know Soval would have wanted this information to get to them."

"You did this because of guilt." T'pol tried to suppress her disappointment, but she hadn't meditated in two days so it was difficult. She really had hoped he believed in the cause. Thy'lek sighed thoughtfully then said slowly,

"Yes I did but that's not necessarily a bad thing, I do this in the name and memory of my dear Vulcan friend, hopefully that will remind people that every species counts in this, remind them that if the Federation is to exist that we all need to be friends not just allies. Things do need to change, I understand that perfectly, but I'm not going to say this way is the right way. Maybe in time you and others will convince me, but right now helping the Terran Empire fall because of guilt is as good a reason as hatred of Terrans is. It's just as good a motivator. Besides, as selfish as it is, in doing this when I look at myself in a mirror, I won't just see a monster that betrayed his people and friends. I'll hopefully see someone trying to make it right, despite his mistakes."

"I suppose that will have to do." T'pol acknowledged. Thy'lek nodded slightly then smiled,

"You know since we will be spending some time together, maybe you'll convince me before we even find the rebels." How he was able to find amusement in their situation was beyond her. She said as much. He grinned slightly,

"You know, Vulcan and Andorian minds are like fire and ice, both powerful, both striking, and completely uncomprehending of the other despite being around for so long together." She stared at him perplexedly, he shrugged slightly, "See what I mean?"

"No."

"Exactly."


End file.
